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Originally Posted by Graham
Thanks for the reply.
Sorry, I phrased the question a little badly, I know I need that stuff, but it's the details that I'm interested in.
Does a higher price necessarily mean a better product? I'm not going to pay money for a name, but I'll pay it for quality!
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Branding is big in Skiing, you do pay for it but discounting end of season is also huge, the stylish set need to wear this seasons gear, so the shops want last seasons out. Buy something you like, if its £10-20 more you will find you use it multi season and the up front cost is a saving on replacing it 12 months later because you have gone off the colour or something.
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Originally Posted by Graham
Is "water resistant" ok or should I get "water proof"?
Does "improved wicking" actually *mean* anything?!
What does "one hundredweight" mean on a fleece (that's damned heavy!)
Are zips under the arms of a jacket useful or just a gimmick?
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Well an ex grasss skiier probably won't spend much time on their arse, snow is not wet (until it melts) and you probably won't be skiing in the rain or a snowstorm, as such resistant is ok. Waterproof is more useful for walkin in the peak district in April.
Wicking, removing the moisture away from your body. Sweat gets cold and uncomfortable against the skin, pull it away you stay warmer with less thickness of clothing. Make sure your socks and gloves wick well or you'll have very sweaty feet and hands.
It means the weight, probably in grams/Msq. Bit like paper is weighted. Higher number, thicker warmer. Depending on whether you feel the cold depends on how thick this needs to be.
If you sweat a lot / get hot quickly - yes. This is also dependant on when and where you ski. Skiing on a North facing slope in January is a very different experience to a South slope in April. The former will want a under vest, polotop or similar, fleece and jacket, goggles hat, neck gator, thermal pants, ski pants. The latter you might be comfortable in a T shirt and sunglasses (and skipants). Think about when and where you might be planning to go. Higher = colder, north = colder, earlier in the season = colder.
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Originally Posted by Graham
Probably. The only pair of ski boots I have are almost 25 years old (I used to grass ski as a teenager, gods, I feel old now!!). Is that a good idea? Are boots for Skiing and Snowboarding completely interchangable?
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Boots are a good buy if you are planning to do this going forward. You can get conformable foot liners, make sure they fit well etc. Jerreck has detailed the pros and cons of front vs back openeing. MOst are front opening now. Boots are well worth buying from a specialist ski store. Snow and Rock have a comfort return guarantee that is highly valuable.
Skis, I'd rent. You normally have to pay a charter airline to get them there, if you play with new expensive rentals you get the pang of guilt that you should be using your own, they are a pain to get around. Again depends on how much skiing you plan, any over 12 days (probably 8 in the US) and you may well be financially better off buying in the sale this year. However you would not try a car without taking it for a test drive, the same can be said for skis.
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Originally Posted by Graham
There's a JJB sports shop in the Cascades in Portsmouth that's doing all their wintersports wear at 50% off, but I don't know how good it is in comparison to that from a dedicated ski suppliers.
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Clothing - probably no different - good price competition. For skis, bindings and boots, a specialist every time.